Words Don't Come Easy
by kbeto
Summary: Danny's isn't too good with puzzles, Tom's it too cute for his own good, Harry plays a quizzical matchmaker, and Dougie doesn't even go there. When the words are too hard to be spoken, you should try another to convey them. Flones, fluff, rated T just because I can.


_Disclaimer: Am I owning anything? The answer is 'no'. Wanna hear it in Spanish? 'No'._

_A/N: Goshdangit, it turned out longer than I expected! I got a bit carried away after the first half, and I was supposed to be ending the next chapter of DF! Oops! (Somebody should keep that ImagineyourOTP blog away from me!)_

_I got kinda inspired by the song 'Words' I heard in a cute short film called 'Lucky Blue'. *claws at face*_

_**Anonymous** I still think you should not expect too much from me. It's easier in case I disappoint you in a near future, or anything. :P Can't say your ideas are the norm around here, but what's normality other than just a fancy word? ;) Haha!_

_OMG why would you think of that? I can't even conceive my boys being part of the mafia! BWAhaha! Hmm... I don't really know why Dougie has that mask, but with him the question is more a 'why not?' than a 'why?'. He probably bought it on a whim because it looked cool or anything like that. Haha! Thanks, dear! :D_

Words Don't Come Easy

"Why me? I'm too thick for books!"

"I already told you there's no such thing, mate. Now, belt up and come with me," Harry hooked his arm with his friend, Danny, dragging the curly-haired boy with him into the library.

Being completely honest, that was indeed one of the last places you would find Danny. Whilst he wasn't the brightest in any his classes nor showed promise of being the next Einstein, he was a hard-working guy, and that made him an admirable person. Plus, he could always rely on Harry when things got a bit too difficult.

"We're currently remodelling all of our system, you'll have to search for your books the old fashioned way," a blond boy greeted the duo with a smile. "We apologise for the inconvenience," he nodded, and then left.

"And here we go search through all those old paper cards," Harry snorted, wrinkling his nose at the likely mite-ridden library card catalogue. He reckons the drawers would be looking a bit rusty, were they made of metal instead of some sort of wood he couldn't tell. "I'll need a hand, Dan. Dan?"

Danny hadn't paid attention to a single word he said, his eyes following every step the polite bloke that greeted them took. Everything about him was endearingly and adorable, from brown eyes that resembled honey candy – when under the right light–, to the solitary dimple that poked on his cheek whenever he flashed those pearly and slightly short teeth.

Harry's gaze followed Danny's. He waved a hand in front of Danny's eyes to get the freckled boy's attention. "Don't tell me– Not again, Dan! You can't go around falling for people on the first time you meet!"

"Hmm?" A still dazed Danny turned his head to look at his mate with that silly look that only served to corroborate the other boy's theory. The fascination was evident in his gestures and actions.

"Bloody hell," Harry sighed, burying his face on his right hand. "Come on, love-struck schoolboy." With some difficulty he dragged Danny with him to start their searching task.

~#~

"Hello again," the blond smiled at them, his eyes sparkling when he saw the selection of books in each boy's arms. "It seems like you two enjoy reading, that's really cool."

"Uh? But these are all–" Harry flinched and chewed the inside of his cheek to hold a whimper that tried to escape his lips. Danny had stomped on his foot with such force that he contemplated whether or not he had three broken toes.

"T-Thanks! Do you like reading, too?" Danny tried his best to strike a conversation. He couldn't let the opportunity of chatting Sunshine boy up slip away.

"I work here, what do you think?" 'Sunshine' winked, taking the books from Danny's arms and opening them to start manually filling the library cards. When he finally concluded his task – doing the same to the books with Harry, whilst chatting about his favourite authors and whatnot –, he handed them over and wished the lads _"good reading"_. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, where's the loo, because I think I'm going to be sick," Harry rolled his eyes. He avoided having his toes crushed under Danny's foot this time, both knowing he was referring to Danny's puppy-in-love act. Seriously, as much as he loved his best mate, Harry couldn't stomach him trying to be all flirty.

"You guys are funny." 'Sunshine' laughed, shaking his head.

It was a simple affirmation, but enough to make Danny's heart flutter. _"He thinks you're funny and he already knows your name, don't screw things up!"_ His brain added in a very exasperated voice. "Thanks– Uh, I didn't get your name..."

'Sunshine' chuckled and tapped a tag that reads 'Thomas' on his chest. Danny couldn't help but notice the outline of a tattoo peeking from inside Thomas' shirt, his mind automatically wondering what would that inked skin taste like. Not that he's some pervert that goes fantasizing about people he just met, but he had to admit the boy was a fine mix of good looks, good personality and a _killer_ body.

"Thanks for everything, mate," Harry smiled, elbowing his friend on the ribs. "We'll come back sometime."

"I hope so, those books have a due date, you know." And they all said their goodbyes.

~#~

For the rest of the day Harry had to listen to Danny blabbing about how incredible and charming and seemingly perfect Tom –he figured he could call the boy just that– was. Now, he never really had thought about that before, but for the first time in his life Harry contemplated murder; a Danny in love could be a handful to deal with.

"Don't forget that I'm keeping the books you borrowed, Mr. I'll-woo-the-cute-librarian," he said, putting the books on his desk.

"He likes smart guys, what did ya want me to do?"

"Well, let's see what you're going to do, because I'm not giving the books back until I finish my project," Harry snorted. "Just hurry up and ask him out."

"That's the only problem." His brow furrowed. He would need a better plan than just going with a _"Hi, I fancy ya. Wanna go out?"_.

~#~

The next day, Danny once again visited the library. A nervous glance at his watch and he verified that it was nearly around the same time he had been there with Harry. He blew into his palm to inspect his breath, and upon not detecting a bad smell he entered the building.

"_He's not here today..."_ Danny felt a pang of disappointment when he found the counter Tom would sit behind empty.

"Back so soon? I doubt you read all those books in just one day," a voice chuckled behind from him and he promptly span with a smile in place, having recognised Tom's voice.

"No, but I'm here to get a few others." It was a surprise to see Tom wearing glasses – Danny was sure he didn't have them yesterday –, though that didn't stop him from drooling (in a very veiled way) over how good the librarian looked.

"Aren't we a bit avid for reading?" Another wink. Danny didn't know why Tom always did that, but he certainly wasn't complaining about it. "Just remember that we have a limit of books borrowed and you won't be able to get new ones without giving back the ones already in your possession."

Danny nodded and once again watched the other boy walk away. This time he could properly appreciate the round bum getting further and further from him, and he had to admit: it was a good looking bum.

~#~

"He likes puzzles!"

"Good for you." The reply came absent-mindedly and void of any meaning, as Harry continued to read one of the books he got in his bed, ignoring Danny pacing back and forth in front of him.

"It's _not_, you twat!" Danny snatched the book away from Harry's clutches, making him groan, then sigh in resign. "I'm the worst at those things! Remember when were playing Zelda and I got stuck in the first dungeon?"

"Dude, you're screwed." Laughter filled the room, Harry rolling on his stomach to muffle his fit with a pillow. He knew how hopeless Danny was when it came down to brainy stuff.

"Thanks for your support, mate."

"Hey, not everything is lost." As funny as the situation seemed, Harry wasn't a dick to not help his friend. At the very worst, they'll have a good story to tell, seeing how far Danny wanted to go to get closer to Thomas. "I've got an idea, listen up."

~#~

For weeks Danny visited the library everyday it was open, always when he could find Tom there. In the meantime, unbeknownst to Danny, Tom started to grow more and more suspicious about the brunet's intentions. He would always borrow a ridiculous number of books one day, give them back the next, and then take other titles with him. Anyone with a bit of common sense could deduct that nobody can read more than a entire book in just one day, and Tom was just too much curious to let the mystery go on any longer.

"Danny, can I ask you something?"

"'Course, mate. Wha' ya need?"

"Why do you come here everyday and picks all these books you're _clearly_ not reading?" Tom's eyes were almost apologetic as he asked that, as if he didn't want to offend Danny in any way. "Don't get me wrong, but you don't seem like the type that would be a bigger bookworm than me."

There. He said everything that had been on his mind for some time, now he just had to wait till Danny punched him or complained to his superior about his intrusion on the boy's personal life. Strangely enough, none of the expected reactions came, and instead, Danny beamed and fished around his pocket for a crumpled note that he shoved inside a pocket on Tom's shirt.

"I don't feel like taking any books today. I'll be back tomorrow expecting an answer."

With those words Danny left, leaving a baffled Tom behind. The content of the secret note, now unfolded over the counter, didn't really help much:

_Third time is a charm. From there, every initial oddity will only add to a bigger question, for every memory is a recorded entry._

_Are you up to the challenge?_

~#~

"_How did he react?"_

"Dunno. I didn't wait after I gave him the note."

"_He'll figure it out, he seems like the smart type. Smarter than you, anyways."_

"Dickhead," Danny ended the call, Harry's laugh being the last thing he heard.

~#~

"Tom's not here today, he got day off. Anything I can help you with?" A short, red-haired girl asked politely. Even if she did want to help, she _couldn't_.

Danny made up some lame excuse and bid Anne – the name her tag read– goodbye, disappointed that he didn't get to see the boy of his dreams. His disappointment turned into excitement, though, when he saw a note on the floor tied with a slim thread addressed to him.

_Those who seek answers must pursue them._

It was Tom's calligraphy, that much he knew. The message was a bit too cryptic to be fully understood, but Danny didn't have the chance to get more confused, as he felt a tug on the other end of the red thread in his hand. He also noticed a piece of cardboard that read 'answers' and started following it, when a stronger tug ripped the first note from his hand and started being pulled away.

Within minutes Danny found himself in front of a large tree at the back of the library. From behind it Tom appeared with a roll of red thread in his hand and a library card in another. The paper had some marks over the names inscribed in there, and Danny beamed when he saw the librarian smile.

"It took me the whole night, and when I finally realised what I was supposed to do, I was more than sure you weren't the one who made this," Tom's smile turned into a frown. "But you actually went through all the hassle to be here everyday just to get me this, and that's the most adorable thing anybody ever did for me." The smile returned to his features, his dimple poking out even more.

The library card in Tom's hand accounted all the books Danny borrowed ever since the two met. From the third day onwards, every title that ended up in a odd number in the count had its initial circled, the letters forming the message _"Y-A-W-A-N-N-A-G-O-O-U-T"._

Danny stepped closer to Tom with a grin in place. His cheeks hurt from all the happiness he felt in his body, and all he wanted to do was to scream to the world that he finally 'wooed the cute librarian'. The boys shared a shy kiss, and taking advantage of Tom's day off went to have a formal date, with cinema, ice cream, and every other little thing that makes a date silly and special. They learnt that not every word need to be spoken to reach someone else, and that was the most precious lesson they could learn from books.

~Fin~

_A/N2: Prompt was "Imagine person A of your OTP working in a library, and person B sees them and falls in love instantly, and from there, they keep coming back to see person A during their work hours, and check out obscenely large amounts of books just to talk to them."_


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